check this out http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,40621,00.html

-- fred in wi (sixuvusmeyers@aol.com), December 12, 2001

Answers

Looks pretty cool!

If only ALL the car makers would try to think outside the box. More importantly if sheeple would see the futility of that SUV ......I lose count of how many people I see driving these 6000 lb beasts....ALONE!

Too bad there not an SUV law......

Do you REALLY need a 12,000 lb towing capacity vehicle?

Do you REALLY need 4 wheel drive?

Do you REALLY need a 300 hp fuel guzzler?

Now, I'm not a hypocrite.....I do own one. But it's 27 years old and I DO need a 12,000 lb towing capacity!

I have a large horse trailer and other equipment that requires a big truck. Plus I have a family of 7 and this truck fits us all.

It's just the old consumerism greed....WANTS over-rule NEEDS....that makes me sick.

-- Jason in S. Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), December 12, 2001.

Jason, is it not possible that many of the other folks you see driving these behemoths DO need them?

I drive a half ton pickup, not because I need the towing capacity, though I do need it sometimes; rather, I drive it because I'm six six, and can't sit up in a small truck or car.

OTOH, my bro in law insists his kids, wife, and self, drive these hogs because they will "win" if they hit a pipsqueek car. (Is this fair?)

-- joj (jump@off.c), December 12, 2001.

I hate it when the news does this. Despite the title of the article, the car doesn't actually run on soap, it runs on hydrogen and uses the sodium borohydride as a storage medium to keep the car from turning into the Hindenburg if you happen to get into a wreck bad enough to rupture the fuel tank. You're still left with the problem of how to produce the hydrogen, the easiest and most cost efficient way being with hydrocarbons like natural gas or gasoline, but then you're left with the same pollutants you had before. It's like the myth of the zero emission electric car. The car itself may not have any emissions, but the electricity had to come from somewhere.

***quickly climbs down off soap box and dashes out of rotten vegetable range**

-- Steve - TX (steve.beckman@compaq.com), December 12, 2001.

Steve, thanks for a breath of fresh air. Not a chemist, but that whole scenario just REEKED!

-- HarleyinFL (cruisindog@juno.com), December 12, 2001.

Sure, Joe.....anything is possible.

I have a friend who is a salesman at a local Ford dealer and he says it's a 10 to 1 ratio of those who are needing it to tow or use the off road capability and those who want one because everyone else seems to have one.

You bring up a good point too......what happens in a crash? If the other car is a smaller import.....OUCH!.....gonna be BAD!

Notice if you will ...say a Ford Excursion next to a Toyota Camry......it's bumper is almost even with the windows on the Camry! Now a Camry has a good crash rating from the Gov.....but it's a FRONTAL rating only! I don't know the figures, but what, maybe half of all wrecks are side impacts?

-- Jason in S. Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), December 12, 2001.

Did any of you watch the report on Dateline concerning these SUVs? The insurance institute did a crash test on the top 13 or 15 (can't remember which) selling SUVs. You would be surprised at some of the results. It seems that some of the marginal or unacceptables ratings were from the higher end SUVs. They showed film of the crashes and showed what happened to the dummies, some of the vehicles had doors which opened, hoods and front ends which fell apart. I do not think these vehicles are that much safer than a regular pickup truck although many of them are touted as being safe...

I think you can find the results of the tests on the internet by searching for the insurance institute or Dateline's website.

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), December 12, 2001.

Jason, this is not directed toward you personally, but, I am sick and tired of people bashing SUVs. I have a 1994 Isuzu Trooper 4WD, and a 1990 Chevy 2500 extend cab 4WD long box truck. Do I NEED them? Yes I do if I want to get out of my driveways in all 4 seasons, work in the hayfield, haul firewood off the hill, pull my stock trailer, etc... but I should be able to drive one even if I lived in NYC. I'm currently looking for a smaller 4WD SUV for my oldest daughter, she'll be going to college next fall (somewhere in NY) and I want her to have the added protection of 4WD. So, some people need SUVs, and some people want them but all should be able to drive them.

Stacy in NY---> rant off.

-- Stacy (KincoraFarm@aol.com), December 13, 2001.

I'm with Stacy. I drive 50 miles one way to work on country roads in snow country. I own 80 acres and work it. I have a '93 Ford Explorer with 248,000 miles on it. I drive 50 miles an hour over 1/2 the distance to work. Then I join a highway and must drive 60 to survive. I get 20 mpg. My car is a V-6 with the oil changed every 3,000 miles and a great mechanic keeps it in tune. We buy bulk gas when it is cheaper (my grandson loves to go with me to "Grandpa's gas station" and fill up). A yuppie housewife, living in the burbs, taking her children to school with a huge SUV surely doesn't compute. But I understand the safety concerns.

-- Rickstir (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), December 13, 2001.

Stacy....you missed my point.....you actually NEED an SUV!

My problem is exactly what Rickstir said.... "A yuppie housewife, living in the burbs, taking her children to school with a huge SUV surely doesn't compute".

Those type of SUV owners are the ones that really chaff me....and those are the majority of the owners of these gas-guzzling monsters.

Wants vs. needs........like I said.....there ought to be a law.

-- Jason in S.Tenn. (AJAMA5@netscape.net), December 14, 2001.

"Wants vs. needs........like I said.....there ought to be a law."

That's my point, do you really want more government in your life? When did we lose the personal freedom of driving what we want? If you can afford an SUV and the insurance to protect it, and others, why shouldn't you be able to drive one?

Stacy in NY

-- Stacy (KincoraFarm@aol.com), December 14, 2001.

I have to agree with joj on this one (SUVs and trucks). If you are taller, or long-waisted, putting the seat back in a smaller car doesn't help with headroom. It is NO fun driving with your head at an angle. I could be happy with a hybrid, but it would be awful for other members of the family.

Also, sticking just ONE carseat of any sort in the middle (or on the side), makes it really uncomfortable for anyone sitting in the back seat--it is no longer a three person seat, but a two-person seat. Remember the days of 4-5 kids sharing a seatbelt in the back seat, or riding on someone's lap? Not legal any more.

And, there are very few choices in station wagons. The Subarus, while having all-wheel or 4wd (whatever they call it), are built for 4 very small people. Vans are often underpowered even when relatively empty, and the gas mileage is not much different between vans, station wagons, and SUVs.

A lot of things are considered when buying a vehicle, and gas mileage is just one consideration.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), December 17, 2001.